Greg Larson RIP

[Andrew G. Doe]

Some sad news to pass on - Greg passed away at home on Monday 25th April, age 62. He told me about a year ago he was pretty bad, but I didn't know it was this serious. His love for the band and their music will be sorely missed.

[Smilin Ed H]

RIP Far too young.

[mikeyj]

Very sad news. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. By the way Andrew, it is Greg isn't it?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Very sad news. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. By the way Andrew, it is Greg isn't it?

Yeah - he was forever correcting me about that, then in the end he just said "sh*t, just call me Glen !". That's the kind of guy he was.

[MBE]

Oh dear he was a nice guy. I knew he had problems but I really liked him.

[Cam Mott]

Greg was a great guy and put the friendly in friend.

[A Million Units In Jan!]

Wow. When I was first getting into the BBs, he sent me numerous tapes and gave me A LOT of information. We talked on the phone quite a few times back in the day. I remember he couldn't get his hands on the Surfin' Safari match box car that they sold at Target, and I found one and sent it to him. Good guy, GLarson was.

[c-man]

Sad indeed.  Greg always had the knack of locating my seat at area BBs-related concerts even before I did.  A very generous fan.  He'll be missed!

[Peter Reum]

I found Greg to  be a kind and firm presence for civility and friendliness in a world that often forgets its good manners. He was a true gentleman, and I will miss him.

[Catbirdman]

Some sad news to pass on - Greg passed away at home on Monday 25th April, age 62. He told me about a year ago he was pretty bad, but I didn't know it was this serious. His love for the band and their music will be sorely missed.

So saddened to hear this news. I just spoke to Greg about three weeks ago, and in his words he was "fading away." It was one of the sadder conversations I've had with anyone. He used to talk one's ear off on the phone, rhapsodizing about Brian and the Boys, jumping from one story to the next. His mind was almost savant-like in its ability to skip from date to date, making connections and calculations. But this last time I spoke with him he was little more than a shell, and he had no energy or interest in mental tennis. Midway through the conversation he announced, regretfully, that he just couldn't keep it going; he was too tired. We hung up on good terms but with a tinge of sadness.

When I first became a Beach Boys fan in 1995, I posted a newbie question on some internet board or other - my very first post. Greg's was the first ever reply. As A Million Units In Jan! relates above, Greg was known for his helpfulness and encouragement of new fans. He brought them into the fold, shared information and pointed the way towards audio riches. He was my first Beach Boys friend, and I suspect many others' as well.

The man also had many talents. He could juggle. He could tell you the day of the week for any random date in history - making the calculation in his head in seconds flat. He remembered everything you ever said to him, what the weather was like on the exact day you said it, and whether or not the Minnesota Twins won that day. He was an avid "ball shagger" (don't laugh, Brits) at minor league baseball games and had amassed thousands upon thousands of foul balls over the years. He was also a bit of an obsessive, and not just about the Beach Boys. He once told me that when Leon Russell's debut album came out, he listened to it every day, at least ten times a day, for two-three months. Or something like that.

He was a real character, and a kind soul. He always wanted to help people and treated everyone with respect and fairness. Very humble and approachable. Generous to a fault. I wish so much that he could have taken better care of himself and stayed around a bit longer to share himself with the rest of us. He will be missed.

[Cam Mott]

Sad indeed.  Greg always had the knack of locating my seat at area BBs-related concerts even before I did.  A very generous fan.  He'll be missed!

This made me chuckle. I have only met two fellas from this board face to face and it was thanks to Greg. Greg arranged for he and I to meet before one of the Wilson/Simon concerts, Greg visited with me and my wife and then took me to c-man's seat and introduced us. Greg was a very generous guy and a gentleman.

[bgas]

See you on the other side, Greg! 

[Mikie]

Damn it!!  I talked to him on the phone many times - the last conversation I had with him was earlier this month. I knew he had medical issues, but thought he had it beat. He loved baseball (he was an umpire at one time) and he loved the Beach Boys and was a top collector. A few years ago, he made some nice Beach Boys shirts. He was a funny guy. I think he was also an English teacher at one time - he use to correct me with  private e-mails if I spelt a word wrong over on Cabinessence. He sent me quite a few 'illicit' CD's over the years - all I had to do was ask and it was mine. That's what I really liked about Greg; he didn't hesitate to share what he had - he was really good at sharing. He told me he went on a ship cruise back in the early 2,000's with some Beach Boys fans and played a lot of tapes for them. Most of the people hadn't heard the unreleased material before and as soon as he got home he sent them copies of his Beach Boys tapes and CD's.

I just wish Greg would have lived a few months longer to see SMiLE released.  He would have loved that.  But..... he'd heard most of it anyway.

You'll be missed, Greg.  You had a lot of friends in the Beach Boys community and beyond. God bless you, man.

[Steve Mayo]

damn...hate to read this.....r.i.p.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

f***....I was not expecting this at all. I hadn't spoken to him in a few years, and had just reconnected with him several months ago.

[Rich Panteluk]

Very sad news indeed.  My thoughts are with his family.  I didn't know Greg personally at all (I didn't have ANY idea about his age), but I had traded rare stuff with him several times.  Dependable and passionate about the material.  My big collection is as impressive as it is because of great traders like Greg.  I also bought a shirt (I'll take that out and wear it in his memory).  R.I.P. and say hello to Denny and Carl for us.  Thanks for the great tunes!

[Rocker]

I didn't know him or had much to do with him but it's always sad to see someone go who is part of such a community as this. R.I.P.

[Roger Ryan]

Although I never met him, his contributions to this message board were always welcome. For those who are curious, here is Greg's last posting on April 4th...and it's a lovely one (in response to memories of the 2003 Beach Boys convention):

I was there for all three.  But I have to agree that the first was the best or the three.  The music was obscenely good.

And don't forget the lion trainer!

[petsite]

Greg would often call me at 2 AM to talk, which put a strain on our relationship once I returned to the 8-5 grind. But he was never malicious or cold. Just a super fan (with equally super issues, as wel all know). He and I would talk for hours back in the 90's and into 2003. Sorry to hear this turn of events. It is truly sad....

Let's see, Greg Larson, Bob Hanes, and Laurie Klobas. Yeah Beach Boys, wait a little longer to release your back archive. The Honeys have stated they have more of their stuff to release but they want to wait for urgency to release their stuff to build. Bob Hanes told them "Build to when? Your core group of fans is dying off!!"

Glad SMiLE is coming..........

Bob Flory

[Mahalo]

I met Greg through the Cabinessence board. I was inquiring about a POB album on amazon, and he was kind enough to send me a copy so I didn't have to pay. We spoke on the phone a few times as well...I remember trying to convince him of what Brian meant by saying "a cigarette thrown in the water, goes pfft..." What good times. He was the first one to send me lots of rich Beach Boys and Brian Wilson music...his generosity was and still is an inspiration.

We met at the convention in 2007 in Connecticut. RIP my friend, and say "Hi" to Carl and Dennis for everyone down here at SSMB...We will miss you brother.



 

[Chris Brown]

Didn't know him personally but always sad to lose a fellow fan who had such love for the Beach Boys, far too young especially.  RIP Greg.

[Emdeeh]

This is really sad news.  

Greg was a fan's fan and a very generous soul. A man who wept at Carl Wilson's graveside -- I sure hope Carl was one of the first to greet him when he crossed over. He'll be missed.

[Jon Stebbins]

I had a quite a few laughs with Greg on his trip to California for a CWF event that seems like yesterday, but was probably 10 years ago. I also saw him in CT back in 2005 or so at one of Susan Lang's events where we had some more laughs. There were a few pm's and emails since then, and he was always a welcome presence to communicate with. Here's to you Greg, it was a pleasure to know you.

[A Million Units In Jan!]

The man also had many talents. He could juggle. He could tell you the day of the week for any random date in history - making the calculation in his head in seconds flat. He remembered everything you ever said to him, what the weather was like on the exact day you said it, and whether or not the Minnesota Twins won that day.

Ha! I had forgotten that! We used to IM back on AOL, and he would say, 'give me any date and year', and he would tell me what day of the week it was. And he could do that with singles, too. What day they were released and what their catalog number was. I used to accuse him of cheating!

[drbeachboy]

He did that with me at the BB Convention in CT. outside the hotel. Never did figure out how he did it. RIP Greg!